Is the Persian calendar the same as the Solar Hijri calendar?

Yes. The Persian (Jalali / Shamsi) calendar is the Solar Hijri calendar used in Iran and Afghanistan. Its year begins at the spring equinox (Nowruz), and the first six months have 31 days, the next five have 30, and Esfand has 29 or 30.

How accurate is the conversion?

It uses Borkowski's 33-year-cycle algorithm, which exactly matches the observational Solar Hijri calendar across the full modern range, pivoting through the Julian Day Number. Round-trips are exact.

When does the Persian year start?

The Persian year begins on 1 Farvardin, which falls on the March equinox — Nowruz — around 20 or 21 March in the Gregorian calendar. That day is Persian New Year.

What are the Persian months?

The twelve months are Farvardin, Ordibehesht, Khordad, Tir, Mordad, Shahrivar, Mehr, Aban, Azar, Dey, Bahman and Esfand. The first six have 31 days, the next five have 30, and Esfand has 29 days (30 in a leap year).

How does a Persian leap year work?

A Persian leap year adds a 30th day to Esfand. Leap years follow a 33-year cycle tied to the astronomical equinox, which is why the algorithm-based conversion is needed for exactness rather than a fixed rule.

Why is the Persian year about 621 less than the Gregorian year?

The Solar Hijri epoch is the year of the Prophet's migration (Hijra) measured in solar years, so Persian year numbers run roughly 621–622 behind the Gregorian year for the same date.

Is my date uploaded anywhere?

No. The converter is privacy-first — all calculation happens locally in your browser and nothing is transmitted or stored.

What is the Persian (Jalali) Calendar Converter?

Free Persian (Jalali / Solar Hijri) calendar converter. Convert any date between the Gregorian and Persian calendars in both directions, with the weekday. Privacy-first and runs entirely in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

Persian (Jalali) Calendar Converter

Name: Persian (Jalali) Calendar Converter
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Persian (Jalali) calendar converter

Convert dates between the Gregorian and Persian (Solar Hijri / Jalali) calendars in both directions, with the weekday shown for each result. The Persian calendar is the official calendar of Iran and Afghanistan, so this is handy for reading Iranian dates, planning around Nowruz, or filling in forms that expect a Shamsi date.

How it works

The converter pivots through the Julian Day Number (JDN) — a continuous day count that both calendars can map onto:

Gregorian date  →  JDN  →  Persian date
Persian date    →  JDN  →  Gregorian date

It uses Borkowski’s 33-year-cycle algorithm for the Persian side, which matches the observational Solar Hijri calendar for every modern date, including leap years. Because both directions share the JDN pivot, a round-trip returns exactly the date you started with.

The structure of the Persian calendar

The Persian calendar is purely solar, unlike the Islamic Hijri calendar which is lunar. Its year always begins at the astronomical spring equinox — making it more astronomically precise than the Gregorian calendar, which relies on a fixed rule (leap year every 4 years, with exceptions). The twelve Persian months are:

Month	Days	Season (northern hemisphere)
Farvardin	31	Spring
Ordibehesht	31	Spring
Khordad	31	Spring
Tir	31	Summer
Mordad	31	Summer
Shahrivar	31	Summer
Mehr	30	Autumn
Aban	30	Autumn
Azar	30	Autumn
Dey	30	Winter
Bahman	30	Winter
Esfand	29 or 30	Winter

The first six months each have 31 days — more than the equivalent Gregorian months — because they correspond to the half of Earth’s orbit when the planet moves more slowly (further from the Sun). The last month, Esfand, has 29 days in a common year and 30 in a leap year.

Common date-conversion scenarios

Nowruz planning: The Persian New Year, 1 Farvardin, always falls around 20 or 21 March in the Gregorian calendar. The exact date shifts by a day every few years following the equinox.

Iranian legal and financial documents: Iran uses the Solar Hijri date on official documents, contracts, invoices, and ID cards. If you receive a document dated, for example, 1402/08/15, that is the 15th of Aban 1402 in the Persian calendar — this converter gives you the Gregorian equivalent immediately.

Afghan government dates: Afghanistan also uses the Solar Hijri calendar officially, though some month names differ slightly from the Iranian convention.

Example

The Persian New Year, 1 Farvardin 1403, converts to 20 March 2024 (Gregorian) — Nowruz. Going the other way, entering 2024-03-20 returns 1403-01-01 along with its weekday. Dates just before Nowruz fall in the previous Persian year (month Esfand), since the year boundary is the equinox, not 1 January.

It is privacy-first: nothing leaves your browser.